Maroon 2023 Season Preview: New League, New Faces
Updated: Sep 13
Maroon heads into the new year with an all-new coaching staff and much changed squad, and still full of talent and promise.
Maroon has been training hard through pre-season leading up to their league opener this Sunday
*Photo credit Sam Rode
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As Fall rolls around again that means college soccer is back for your Golden Gophers. A high amount of turnover from Maroon's 2022 squad between graduates and promotions to Gold mean there's many new talented faces among the ranks of the Maroon squad. Let's see who's new:
Owen Brooks - Senior (GK)
Brooks comes to us after an exceptional tryout. During preseason, he's stepped up as Maroon's number one and shown his quality as a shot-stopper.
Wilton Bomsta - Freshman (CB)
Wilton is one of many freshman joining on Maroon. A strong center back, Wilton impressed with his 1v1 defending and physicality.
Tuan Vu - Junior (FB)
Tuan comes in to a Maroon squad to bolster the fullback ranks. A tough defender, Vu adds grit and speed to the Maroon backline.
Emilio Villasenor - Freshman (CM)
Emilio comes to us after an impressive tryout as a freshman. A tough tackling defensive mid, Emilio looks to disrupt the opposition play.
Finn Kennedy - Freshman (CM)
Finn is another freshman who strengthens the center of the park for Maroon. Strong technically and with a great workrate, Kennedy is a well-rounded presence for Maroon.
Sergio Lee - Freshman (W)
Straight from the Twin Cities out of St. Paul Central High, Sergio is a tricky winger with an arsenal of moves to get past fullbacks. He and his twin brother will be a force on Maroon's wide areas.
Antonio Lee - Freshman (W)
Twin brother of Sergio, Antonio equally impressed in tryouts on the wing with his dribbling ability and directness. Antonio will be a certainly be a problem on the wing for opposition teams this year.
Cal Goerdt - Senior (FB)
The second set of our twins begins with Cal Goerdt, a senior fullback who brings good leadership and 1v1 defending ability to the backline.
Cy Goerdt - Senior (FB)
Twin brother of Cal, Cy provides strong defensive solidity and awareness on the opposite flank of the field across his brother.
Pranay Dhiman - Freshman (CB)
Yet another Freshman on Maroon, Pranay brings class defending to the backline, as well as a mature ability to play out from the back.
Daniel Hernandez- Junior (CM)
A workhorse with direct play and good technical ability, Hernandez is a welcome addition to an already strong midfield corps.
Wiley Wang - Sophomore (CAM)
Wiley joins us after transferring from Gustavus. A creative midfielder, Wang looks to unlock attacking options for Maroon's front line.
Aariz Arshad - Freshman (W/CAM)
Aariz is one of quite a few Maroon players with roots in Mounds View. An attack-minded player, Arshad is a clever offensive threat whether playing through the center or out wide.
Max Turchin - Freshman (CB/FB)
Max Turchin also comes to Maroon out of Mounds View, impressing in tryouts with his defensive ability and equally able to cover across the backline.
Sam Sullivan - Freshman (CM, CB)
DeLaSalle product Sam impressed in tryouts with well-rounded footballing ability. Able to step in to a variety of positions through the heart of the team, Sullivan is another versatile Maroon piece.
Max TerMaat - Freshman (CM)
Max TerMaat again arrives at Maroon out of Mounds View, a strong center mid with ability to drive and break defensive lines.
Ty Svenby - Freshman (FB/CM)
Svenby is yet another freshman filling up the ranks of Maroon. Athletically gifted and a strong all-around player, Svenby brings nice versatility to Maroon.
Zach Mattes - Freshman (CAM/W)
Zach also made the Maroon squad following a strong supplemental tryout showing. Mattes has shifty dribbling and slick passing in the final third.
Matthew Locher - Sophomore (FB)
Matthew was our final player added from supplemental tryouts. A strong fullback, Matthew also adds a keen eye for a long ball or deep cross.
As another massive change for Gopher soccer this year, both Gold and Maroon will be competing in the Upper Midwest Collegiate Soccer League new format, which establishes a traditional league table where the Gophers will play set league games every week, rather than the old format where the Gophers played tournaments all in one weekend for their league games.
This new look squad starts up play right away, with an inaugural league match pitting Maroon vs Minnesota State Mankato in an away tilt, Sunday September 10th. Last year's matchup featuring the two sides ended in a narrow OT 1-0 defeat for Maroon, and Maroon will look to correct their loss from last year to start off the league with a win. Maroon travels again to Winona State the following weekend on Sunday, as the last time the two sides met featured a Maroon win in 2018. Maroon's home opener comes the following weekend on September 23rd vs Minnesota-Duluth.
As Maroon kicks off a new Gopher season this Sunday, be sure to stay tuned to our website and socials so you don't miss any Minnesota soccer action!
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Ski-U-Mah!
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